An Introduction to Scripting (Blender Python - bpy)

In this video,we will be taking a look at Scripting with Blender and Python.

Before we begin, I should mention that I am in no way an expert and in fact, I have only been learning Python (and scripting in general) for a short time. That being said, I went from knowing absolutely nothing - to developing the Darkfall VFX Nodes Add-on, and would like to share with you some tips and maybe a basic introduction into Scripting. 

  We first start by arranging our layout. There are three important windows we need in order to start scripting and they can be placed anywhere in your layout. It's a good idea to save a template file (so you can use a fresh scripting start up file each time). 

Learning Python and Scripting may seem daunting at first but with a little time and patience you can create something useful. 

If you do get stuck and need some help you can always check out the Blender API, there's a stockpile of really useful information along with some nice examples. You can also check out The Blender Stack Exchange, I have been saved many times by helpful people over at the Stack Exchange and certainly recommend using it. 

Blender also comes with many Python Templates for you to check out. I find it a good idea to have a look at how other scripts are structured and many times they can be slightly adapted to fit our needs.

Now, I assume that anyone reading this blog post will have their own idea for an add-on and many things in this introduction may not apply to what you need but I think having a basic understanding of creating a simple script will go a long way when it comes to tackling your own idea. 


In this Introduction, we will be creating a very simple add-on that I dubbed the "Object Adder"... With just a few lines of code we have created our first add-on!. Congratulations!.. 

We created a Panel in the 3D View that has a bunch of buttons, that when pressed add objects. So yeah, it's obviously not that impressive but if (like me) you thought you wouldn't ever be able to code something, you have just made your first steps into the new world of Python.



There are some different ways we can layout the panel and making it look "pretty" can always come later. I like to make sure everything is working and then we can go back and make some adjustments. The first version of the Darkfall VFX Nodes add-on was a mess. Not only did it look bad but it also was not as simple to use as it is now. 

Thanks to those who have downloaded and used the Add-on, I took their feedback and started to develop newer versions. So with that being said, If you find yourself stuck or need help improving your add-on, be sure to take all the feedback you can get. 

Since we could not cover everything in a single Video, I will be creating more videos on scripting and hopefully you guys will find them helpful. If you have any suggestions on what you want to see, make sure you leave a comment in the video and let us know!.

If you guys want to check out the code that we wrote in the video, you can find it here:

import bpy

class TestPanel(bpy.types.Panel):
    bl_label = "Object Adder"
    bl_idname = "PT_TestPanel"
    bl_space_type = 'VIEW_3D'
    bl_region_type = 'UI'
    bl_category = 'My 1st Addon'
   
    def draw(self, context):
        layout = self.layout
       
        row = layout.row()
        row.label(text= "Add an object", icon= 'OBJECT_ORIGIN')
        row = layout.row()
        row.operator("mesh.primitive_cube_add", icon= 'CUBE')
       
        row.operator("mesh.primitive_uv_sphere_add", icon= 'SPHERE')
        row = layout.row()
        row.operator("object.text_add", icon= 'FILE_FONT', text= "Font Button")
       
       
       
       
def register():
    bpy.utils.register_class(TestPanel)
   
def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(TestPanel)
   
if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

The Witcher - Yennefer's Eyes

In this video,

As some of you may already know, I am a big fan of the Witcher Franchise and since the release of the TV show on Netflix, there are a ton of cool things to take a look at. One thing that stood out was Yennefer's Eyes.

So I was inspired to try and create a "Yennifer" style VFX Shot, using the Darkfall VFX Nodes Add-on.


You can check out the Witcher Trailer Breakdown here,

After tracking our shot, we can then create the masks that we need. Since the woman in the shot is blinking, we also need to animate the Eyelid mask using the Automatic Keyframes.

You can download the Video here,

I should mention, if you are recording the shot yourself, you might want to add some tracking markers to your actor before shooting your footage. That way, you will have less work to do in the end.

I hope you guys enjoyed this video and as always, thanks for watching!..

Video Stabilization in Blender 2.8

In this video, we will be fixing our shaky or unstable footage using Blender 2.8 (download 2.8 here). To stabilize our videos, we only need a few tracks and a single node.

If you would like to follow along, you can download the video here. 

We will need One Track for the Location (though I like to add a few, just to give Blender more information), and Two Tracks for the Location.

 When adding the Location Track(s), it's a good idea to place them in the middle of the video or the "focal point". 

I use three Tracks for the Location but you only need one. 

When adding the Location Tracks, you want to place one on each side of the screen. 

As you can see the Marker on the right is not exactly at the right edge of the screen, like the one on the left but this is fine and Blender has enough information to stabilize the video. 

Once we have changed a few settings we can jump to the Compositor and apply the Stabilization effect to our Video. 

I hope this tutorial helps with your projects and as always, Thanks for reading!.

River Rapids in Blender 2.8

In this video, we will be adding some visual interest to our shot with the help of the Niagara Falls, and if you have followed along a previous tutorial you may have already created some "Uber Nodes" or "Mega Nodes". 

By using these custom nodes, we can save a whole bunch of time!. I mean who wants to be creating the same group of nodes over and over again? (if you have not made any super nodes, don't worry!. We will composite this shot without them). 

 This is the original footage we will be starting with (you can download the video here). 

It's a nice shot as it is, but I would like to add some more visual interest by adding rapids. 

 For the "Rapids" we use a Video of the Niagara Falls (download the video here).

 Using the Masks we created and a few color nodes we can blend the water asset into the scene. 

When adding an asset to a scene like this, it's always great when we can bring something from the original footage and put it on top of our asset (like we did here with the Rock). 

I wanted to remove the Bridge and though it wasn't really causing a problem, I wanted the Rapids to pull the focus. 

Adding your final Color Grade will complete your shot. 

Make sure you are optimizing your workflow!.. 

I have spoke about optimizing your workflow in previous videos, creating the same group of nodes is tedious and if you find yourself doing it over and over, be sure to create and save your custom Nodes!.. 

Then you can append them into your future projects.

Not only does it save you time but it's also less of an "eyesore". 

Have you already created your own custom node groups? let us know in the comment below!.

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial and if you create something awesome, be sure to share it with us in our Facebook Group!.. 

As always thanks for reading!.. 

Zombie Suzanne [3D Printing]

In this video, we will be doing another "Suzanne Print" where we take the Blender Mascot Suzanne and turn her into something else. 

Today, we turn Suzanne into a Zombie. 

As we did last time, we will start with a Basic Mesh. (Which you can download here). 

This is simply an edited version of the original Suzanne Model (The difference being; One has the Eyes connected and the other does not). 

You can use the original Suzanne Mesh (but, be sure to connect the eyes to the Head mesh).

I then removed and Eye, Changed the smile to something more fitting and then added an "Exposed Brain". 

In the process of creating the brain, I used a free image from Textures.com and you can find it here. 

Then I exported the model and sent it off to the printer. I used the "Dora" by Easythreed (you can check out the review we did here). 

After a couple of hours the print was ready to prime and paint. 

I admit, the paint job sucks and I really need to get better but I'm sure you guys could do a better job. 

If you want to download this Zombie Model as an STL file, you can download it here. 

As my collection grows I wonder what will come next?. 

If you guys have any suggestions be sure to let us know in the comments below!.

I hope you enjoyed this post and as always, 

Thanks for reading.. 

How to Turn People into Ghosts

In this week's Tutorial we will be turning someone into a Ghostly Companion in "How to turn people into ghosts" using Blender 2.8 (this effect can also be done in Blender 2.79). 

Check out the Preview here, 

or

You can watch the Tutorial here. 

First we will create a Mask around the person we wish to turn into a Ghost. I recommend taking more time with the masking then I did, your shots look much cleaner with better Masks. 

Then in the compositing, we can save time by Appending a "Super Node" that we created previously. 

Though if you have not created a Super Node you can either check out our previous blog post here, or follow along in the Video where we create a quick Super Node to add a fake background (in place of the ghost). 

Then with the help of a couple of mix nodes we can add our Ghostly Companion. 

When downloading clips like this, it's often hard to get something perfect. 

Download the Video here. 

For example, we could also replicate the missing part of the man (that being, part of his right shoulder, his neck and some parts of his ears). 
If I was creating this shot for myself and had direction over the scene. I would prefer to shoot the man on the bench, alone. Then shoot the woman in front of a Green screen. 

This would ensure that we see all of the man through the ghost. 

We could recreate most of the man in the Node Editor, and a couple of masks. We would need to add a fake body, neck and ears, before the Ghost effect. From the tests I tried, they looked okay but I hope you guys get the idea and are able to find use for this effect. 

If you do create something be sure to post a link in our Facebook group!. 

Thanks for watching!. 

How to Remove People from Video [Blender 2.8]

In this video we will be revisiting a former Tutorial, "How to remove people / objects from video", only this time in 2.8. There are some differences between version 2.79 and 2.8, along with some improvements to our workflow. 

Watch the Tutorial here.

In this example video we have a few more things we need to remove and I think we did a pretty good job. Of course  if you spend more time on your project you can make it look even better. 

The video quality was not the best and then with Compression it looks even worse, so be sure to use high quality Background Videos when you are working on your own projects. 

Since we have a few  people we want to remove from our video, we will be creating "Super Nodes" or Mega/Uber Nodes to help speed up our workflow. Once we have created a new Node Group (Which I decided to call it the Patch Node..) we can bring that node into future projects and save even more time. 

I hope this technique helps you in your future projects! if you found this helpful be sure to hit that subscribe button for more.. 

As always, thanks for watching!. 

Links

Facebook

Background Video

Robot Eyes in Blender 2.8

(Robot Eyes Result)

In this Video, we will be recreating a familiar VFX Tutorial, Robot Eyes. 

Watch the preview here.

Keen viewers of my channel will already be aware of the "Robot Eyes" Tutorial we have done previously. Since there are many changes from 2.79 to 2.8, I thought it would be interesting to recreate this VFX shot within Blender 2.8. 

We will utilize the new VFX workspace (which helps optimize our workflow), though you can always create your own Workspace. 

First we will track our footage and though some things have changed, it feels very similar to 2.79. I did have some trouble though, I couldn't find the option to "Show Search Size". We can see (and change) the search size as a Value but there was no representation on screen. 

Now maybe I am missing something (If I am please be sure to let me know in the comments) or this could be a bug but many of you know, I like to use that option a lot. 

We then use the "Masking" section and then rotoscope the eye (and more importantly the blink). We did a tutorial on Masking. If you are having trouble with masking, you can check out there Tutorial here. 

Now we are ready to add our tracking information to the 3D Scene. This can be done with the click of a single button. Though when I tried this the first time, I encountered a bug. (When you add the tracks to the 3D scene. If your Markers do not move when you play through the timeline, simply move to a random point on the timeline then press Ctrl + Z. Your Markers should now move).

Remember, 2.8 is in Beta and some bugs will occur. So if you encounter this bug or another, be sure to report it. 

Then in the 3D scene, we can add an "Image as Plain" and add the Robot Eye Texture. If you want to use the same image, you can download it here (CC-0). 

Then we need to change a couple of settings to make the Alpha Transparency work (it would be nice to make these changes as we import the image but it take only a couple of seconds to make the changes). 

Duplicate your plain and Parent each of them to the Trackers and now we can move on to the "Compositing" section. 

For the compositing, we look at adding the Robot Eyes to the Live Action Footage we have been working with. I decided to brighten the "Whites" of the eyes to add some more "Surrealism" to the shot (Though having robot eyes may be surreal enough?). As we do this we create some pretty useful custom Masks. 

I also wanted to add a nice shadow on the eye to add depth and to try and make the shot look more realistic (since in the real world, the top eyelid would naturally cast a shadow on to the eye). 

Then we can finish it off with some glare, glow and color grading. I took some screenshots of my node set-up. I tired to tidy things up and make it look cleaner (though it still looks a mess).

(Robot Eyes - Node Set-up)

(Section One)

(Section Two)

(Section Three)

Once you are happy with it, make sure you set the output, the correct video resolution (also make sure the % slider is at 100%). Also make sure you change your file type to FFMPEG video. 

For the encoding, you can select the preset tab and choose "H_264 in MP3". 

Then go ahead and hit Render (or you can use the shortcut, Ctrl + F12).

So, I hope you found this video helpful!. If you did be sure to give it a Like! and as always, 

Thanks for watching..   

Brightwall [Digital Matte Painting]

Brightwall 

[Digital Matte Painting]

In this video I wanted to use Blender 2.8 and more importantly, Eevee to create a Digital Matte Painting.

Brightwall Preview

Digital Matte Painting Tutorial

I would have liked to have more time to spend on this Matte Painting and really make it look a lot better but unfortunately I was short on time. 

The idea behind it though was to show how awesome Blender 2.8 and Eevee is. 
(so I guess it doesn't really matter how crappy this example is, ;))

Using Eevee for our Matte Paintings will not only save us a whole bunch of time with rendering but also with many other improvements we can optimize our process even further. 

I opened up the last Digital Matte Painting we did "Castle Rock" and rendered the same thing. In 2.79 it took around 38 seconds to render one frame but in 2.8 and with Eevee,  it was rendered in a fraction of the time. 

I hope this video shows you how cool 2.8 is and more importantly, how its possible to create a Digital Matte Painting in Blender 2.8

Now get out there and create something awesome (and something better than this example :D). If you do create a cool Digital Matte Painting, be sure to post a link in our Facebook group!. 

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and thanks for watching!.. 

Links - 

Facebook Group

Blender Download

Background Image 001

Background Image 002

Fortress

Town

Face

Waterfall

Smoke Elements

Can Blender be used for 3D Printing?

(Left: Suzanne Model - Right: Suzanne 3D Print) 

One of the questions I get asked the most is; "Can Blender be used to 3D Print?". 

The answer may not surprise you (since Blender can do almost anything) but the Answer is yes!. 

3D Printers have become much smaller, cheaper and easier to use and now is the perfect time for anyone to get their hands on a 3D Printer. 

If you use Blender (or other similar software), you can easily print your Models, Objects and Parts.

I did a video on this recently where I took Suzanne and made her "Print Ready", you can see the video here.. 

You need to export your models as STL's and you can then use that file in your slicing software. 

As you can see in the picture above, I printed out the model and removed the supports. I did not clean it right away. 

Since then, I cleaned the Print and gave it a somewhat "passable" paint job.

I then had an idea of turning Suzanne into an Angel and Demon. I thought it would be interesting to see what different things I could turn her into.

(Angel and Demon Model)

(3D Printed and Painted)

You can check out the video here. 

I plan to do more different types of "Suzanne Prints" in the future so be sure to look out for those.

So Yes!, Blender can indeed be used for 3D Printing. 

What will you print using Blender?

Copse Cove [Digital Matte Painting]

Copse Cove

[Digital Matte Painting]

In this Tutorial, we will be creating another Digital Matte Painting called "Copse Cove". Check out the Preview Here

We will be using another "coastal" movie clip and adding some elements in order to create a nice little matte painting.

This Tutorial is similar to other Matte Paintings that we have done before, but there are some differences that you may find useful. 

You can check out the Node Set-up Here.

Don't forget to post your Matte Paintings in our Facebook Group